UAE Minister Reviews Smart Agricultural Technologies In The US

May 9, 2018  

CALIFORNIA: During her visit to the United States, Mariam Hareb Almheiri, Minister of State for Food Security, reviewed the latest technological developments in indoor and smart agriculture, which are key future solutions to providing enough food for the whole of humanity.

She also participated in the Global Conference of the Milken Institute, a non-profit organization that aims to promote international prosperity, as one of the main speakers in a discussion about food security issues and the role of smart and vertical farming.

Almheiri stated that smart indoor agriculture is a promising area and is part of the efforts to increase food production and decrease consumption of resources while pointing out that recent technological developments have made it possible to produce large quantities of vegetables, fruits, and other fresh products in urban environments using minimal space and less water, compared to traditional farming.

She also highlighted the importance of this new type of agriculture, as the current era is witnessing greater pressure to produce food while posing many challenges, such as climate change, the lack of fresh water, deforestation and a greater demand for energy.

During her visit to “Windset Farms” in Santa Maria, California, Almheiri reviewed the latest advanced technologies of the company, which is a major supplier of sustainable natural products in North America. She also met with Steven Newell, CEO of Windset Farms, Tony Martin, CFO of Windset Farms, and John Hart, Executive Director of Windset Farms, while the farm’s team presented a detailed technical report about its production process.

She then visited the “Local Roots Farms” in Santa Monica, California, where she learned, from Eric Ellestad, CEO of Local Roots Farms, and Brandon Martin, Vice President for Business Development, the concept of indoor agriculture. She also met with officials from “TPG Rise,” which is an incubator for companies that assist in reducing hunger, increasing food security and encouraging sustainable agriculture, as well as representatives of Pontifex, which is an investment company in agricultural technology.

The Future Food Security Office is currently working on preparing the “National Strategy for Food Security,” with the aim of adopting a comprehensive national framework to guarantee the UAE’s short and long-term food security.

The plan is being developed in cooperation with relevant government authorities, decision-makers, academics and experts from the government and private sectors.

Inauguration Ceremony

Mariam Hareb Almheiri, Minister of State, and Mohammed Yusouf Al Awadi, UAE Ambassador to Peru and Non-Resident Ambassador to Costa Rica, attended the inauguration and swearing-in ceremony of Carlos Alvarado Quesada, the new President of Costa Rica. The ceremony, which was held on Tuesday at the capital, San Jose, was attended by a number of head of states, several states envoys, ministers, deputies, and representatives of international organizations.
 

WAM